August 23, 2026
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A permanent Literacy Walk has been installed along the yellow trail that runs between Kincardine Avenue and Bruce Avenue in the Town of Kincardine.
Organized by Books in the Bruce, with assistance from the Municipality of Kincardine, the Kincardine Trails Association and 100 People Who Share Bruce County, the Literacy Walk can remain at this location year-round, with more people encouraged to enjoy it.
Karen Ruetz, who took over as co-ordinator of Books in the Bruce three years ago from Colleen Shute, is thrilled with the result.
The outdoor Literacy Walk runs once per month from March to October, with indoor sessions of the program running once per month from November to February at the Now Playing Centre in downtown Kincardine. For the outdoor walk, Ruetz would photocopy pages of the book of the month, laminate them and place them on metal posts along the trail. However, they lasted only about two weeks before being damaged and then removed.
With a more permanent solution in mind, she enlisted the help of the municipality which dug the holes and installed the 20 sign posts; her husband, Turner, who built the sign holders; and the trails association volunteers who widened the trail and helped put up the signs.
Workers install the posts for the permanent Literacy Walk in Kincardine; photos by Karen Ruetz
"Everyone has been so supportive," says Ruetz. "Dave Lafortune of the trails association was very helpful as we created this permanent fixture on the trail."
She said about 25 families take part in the indoor sessions, while the outdoor Literacy Walks draw significantly more. "Last month, I gave out 50 copies of the books to families."
The cost of the project was covered by the donation from 100 People Who Share, as well as generous support from the municipality, the trails association, RONA Kincardine and Hodgins Building Centre of Lucknow.
One of the sign posts along the trail (right)
Ruetz now gets the book pages enlarged at the Goderich Print Shop, laminates them and places them on the sign posts under plexiglas.
"We have a stroller-friendly trail for families to enjoy reading the book on the Literacy Walk," she says. "Dog-walkers enjoy it, as well as other people who walk the trail. We have families from Port Elgin and Hanover joining in the monthly program because there's nothing else like this in Grey-Bruce."
While anyone can meander along the Literacy Walk and read the book, families still have to register to take part in the program once per month. On that specific day, they walk the trail and read the book, and at the end, they receive a copy of the book and a snack. There is no cost to participate.
The next session is Sept. 14, with registration opening Sept. 7 through a notification on Facebook at www.facebook.com/booksinthebruce. Families register by E-mail at booksinthebruce@gmail.com.
"It's a popular program," says Ruetz, "so the registration fills up fast, usually in about three to four hours."
Permanent sign posts along the Books in the Bruce Literacy Walk
Workers putting up the posts for the Literacy Walk
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
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